Chapter 74 - 73: The Qin Main Family, Insect Swarm Invasion of Bishui City

Chapter 74: Chapter 73: The Qin Main Family, Insect Swarm Invasion of Bishui City

The Qin Family was also a prominent clan in Yunlong County, boasting a long and enduring legacy. Over the long years, the Zong Family had also undergone several changes.

Every so often, the Zong Family would divide its branches, allowing the ever-growing clan to spread across broader territories. Then, every five years, they would summon the branch families to select and nurture their talents. If a talent from a branch family was heaven-defying enough, it wasn’t impossible for a side branch to become the main lineage.

Throughout history, the Qin Family had also faced great disasters. However, with numerous branch family talents, they quickly rose again.

"After Yu breaks through, he will achieve Qi and Blood Like a Tiger. The Qi and Blood Realm is definitely not his limit. Once he breaks through to the Qi Sea Realm, his talent will inevitably make him a core member of the family.

"Perhaps the candidate for the next generation’s Patriarch will be my son!"

Riding on a tall steed and advancing with the convoy, Qin Hu’s thoughts drifted far away. With his strength, it was already difficult for him to help Qin Yu much. But the County City Qin Family was different. With the wealth and connections of the County City Qin Family, collecting Cultivation Techniques and resources would be much, much easier.

Given the abilities Qin Yu had displayed so far, the possibility of realizing this idea was very high. As long as there were resources, a large number of War Beasts could be bred. How long had it been? In less than half a month, he could already breed a Profound Flood Dragon comparable to Qi and Blood like a Dragon. He didn’t even dare to imagine how powerful Qin Yu would become given more time.

The convoy moved forward. Cyan Peak County was a full thousand kilometers away from Bishui City, and most of the areas were rugged mountain roads. At the speed of the Qin Family convoy, no matter how much they hurried, it would take at least ten days to half a month.

Therefore, the Qin Family convoy would first head to Zoushan County, about four hundred miles away from Cyan Peak County, and then travel by boat. This would save a massive amount of time; they could arrive in just seven days.

***

Above the Qin Family convoy, Black Thorn Eagles circled. From time to time, Red-bellied Eagles let out cries, alerting the convoy below to the situation ahead.

Rapid Insects darted out, and soon, mournful howls of wild beasts would echo from the sides of the road, followed by the sound of the Insect Swarm feeding. The people in the convoy, however, were entirely used to this sight.

The surroundings of Cyan Peak County belonged to the extension of the Wilderness Mountain Range. It was covered with limestone peak forests, karst caves, and underground rivers. The terrain was rugged, and an unknown number of wild beasts and Demon Fiends lurked within. Even on the official roads, wild beasts frequently roamed.

Normally, after leaving Cyan Peak County, everyone would be on high alert, gripping their Weapons tightly at all times to guard against the unexpected. But with the Red-bellied Eagles and Rapid Insects, their safety had vastly improved.

"Patriarch, we are almost at Zoushan County. Things will be easier once we arrive. We can take a boat directly to Bishui City." Qin Wu surveyed the surroundings, a hint of relief appearing on his face.

"Yes. Once we enter the city, we’ll head straight to the docks. We can rest just as well on a boat. This time, we’ll go directly to the Pai Sect to charter two large ships and transport everything in one go," Qin Hu nodded with a smile.

The Qin Family had mobilized quite a number of people this time, and with the Rapid Insects accompanying them, a single large ship wouldn’t be able to hold everyone.

"Great!" the crowd in the convoy cheered. Traveling by boat was much easier than walking.

As the group chatted, a sudden shift occurred. The Red-bellied Eagles in the sky abruptly let out a series of urgent cries, and the Rapid Insects issued low growls. This put everyone in the convoy on high alert, and they drew their Weapons one by one.

Many exchanged bewildered glances. Zoushan County was just ahead. How could there be danger here? Even if bandits were looking to plunder, they wouldn’t choose a place like this.

As they continued their journey, the convoy did not encounter any immediate danger. However, as they gradually approached Zoushan County, Qin Hu’s expression darkened.

On both sides of the road, freshly piled yellow dirt mounds—new graves—appeared from time to time. In some places, corpses were left exposed in the wilderness, with no one to collect them. Packs of wild dogs and flocks of vultures scavenged among them. Some wild dogs, which had clearly fed on human flesh, had bloodshot eyes and looked as if they were about to attack. However, upon seeing the Rapid Insects and sensing their astonishing Evil Qi, they whimpered and retreated.

"How... how did Zhoushan City end up like this?" Qin Wu, who had been quite excited earlier, turned deathly pale. Qin Hu also remained silent.

He had learned some information from Qin Yu—the Blood Demon Sect was secretly inciting Demon Fiends to attack cities. Cyan Peak County was one of their targets, and this Zoushan County was another. Moreover, it seemed the Red Scorpion Sect in Zoushan County possessed something the Blood Demon Sect wanted.

He had originally thought that since the experts from the Demon Suppression Bureau had arrived in time, the situation in Zoushan County wouldn’t be too tragic. But looking at it now, he had been far too optimistic.

As they approached the city gates, a sprawling city built along the river came into view. Its scale was several times larger than Cyan Peak County, yet it had been reduced to a devastated wasteland.

Several County Soldiers sat feebly at the city gates. Seeing the Qin Family convoy, they didn’t even bother to step forward and inspect them; they simply collected the entrance fee and ignored them. The occasional people passing in and out kept their heads down, hurrying along.

Qin Hu’s face grew increasingly solemn. He had been to Zoushan County many times. Located on a major water transport route, it used to be far more prosperous than Cyan Peak County. But now, it had become a set of ruins.

Upon passing through the gates, one glance revealed that the once-bustling markets had been reduced to broken walls and debris. Vast areas had been completely turned into charred earth, and in some places, unextinguished Flames still flickered faintly among the scorched ground. Amidst the blackened ruins, collapsed beams and scattered belongings were faintly visible.

Figures wandered through the rubble like walking corpses. Almost every household had white mourning banners hanging in front of their doors, and soft sobs drifted out sporadically. Sorrow blanketed the entire city. Qin Hu even saw children standing blankly atop the ruins, while mutilated corpses could faintly be seen inside collapsed houses.

As the Qin Family convoy entered the city, the occasional gazes cast their way were filled with dead silence. Some local hooligans and thugs, upon seeing the Qin Family banners and the armored Rapid Insects, scrambled backward, not daring to approach.

"To think Zoushan County has been reduced to this state..." Qin Hu muttered under his breath.

Looking at the city that had turned into a wasteland, where a few County Soldiers occasionally appeared in the streets, struggling to maintain order amid the ruins, a chill rose in his heart.

If Qin Yu hadn’t obtained his inheritance and vastly increased his strength, this would have been the fate of Cyan Peak County! No, the fate of Cyan Peak County would probably have been even more miserable. Everyone would have been subjected to blood sacrifice!

The Blood Demon Sect statue found in the Blazing Flame Tiger Demon Nest was specifically used for blood sacrifices. The entire Cyan Peak County would have been turned into a barren death zone. Everyone, including the Qin Family, would have perished completely!

"Patriarch, are we still going? With Zoushan County in this state, I’m afraid it will be very difficult to organize a fleet to take us to Bishui City," Qin Wu whispered.

"We’re already here, so let’s take a look first," Qin Hu said, shaking his head. "The Pai Sect is a major sect with branches scattered all over Yunlong County. They might still be operating normally, which would save us a lot of time."

Yunlong County had numerous waterways, which naturally gave rise to sects that made their living through water transport. The Pai Sect was one of them, and most of the shipping routes around Bishui City were under their control.

This world was not a peaceful one. Not only were there Demon Fiends, but there were also man-made disasters. As the saying went, mountains had bandits, and waters had River Pirates. If one wanted to travel from Cyan Peak County to Bishui City a thousand miles away without the protection of formidable martial force, it would be easy to lose both one’s wealth and one’s life.

The Qin Family made a living by forging and selling Weapons. Those escorting the convoy were the family’s elites, wielding strong bows and heavy crossbows, unafraid of ordinary bandits. However, when encountering veteran bandits lurking on the waterways, every encounter was a life-and-death struggle. No matter how deep the Qin Family’s pockets were, they wouldn’t be able to bear the losses. Coming to Zoushan County to travel by boat was also a way of spending money to avoid disaster.

"Let’s go!"

***

Wilderness Mountain Range, Snake Valley Insect Nest.

"Zoushan County is finished," Qin Yu murmured.

Standing up in the Cultivation Room, he saw the situation in Zoushan County through the vision of the Rapid Insects, as well as the Red-bellied Eagles and Black Thorn Eagles in the sky. He could see it even more clearly than Qin Hu and the others.

The casualties were disastrous! Out of the more than a hundred thousand people in Zoushan County, perhaps a third had died. This was the consequence of Demon Fiends breaching a city. And this was already considered a blessing amidst misfortune—if the experts from the Demon Suppression Bureau had not rushed to the rescue in time and organized the city’s remaining forces to repel the Demon Fiends, the entire city would likely have been completely reduced to a wasteland of death.

From Li Wanqing and the others, he had learned that Zoushan County had been breached by Demon Fiends. However, when he actually saw this scene, his heart still couldn’t help but tremble—not out of fear, but out of anger!

Qin Yu thought, "According to what Zhao Zhenshan and his group said, the ones that launched the surprise attack on Zoushan County were a pack of aquatic Demon Fiends. Caught completely off guard, Zoushan County was quickly breached. The Blazing Flame Tiger Demon, Mountain Demons, and even aquatic Demon Fiends.

"A blood sacrifice in Bishui City?

"The Blood Demon Sect’s scheme must be massive!"

A fierce glint flashed through Qin Yu’s eyes. He didn’t know exactly what this Blood Demon Sect was trying to do. But killing all of them would definitely not be a mistake. Even if he didn’t have the strength to do so right now, severing some of their tentacles was well within his capabilities.

On his father’s trip to Bishui City, he had dispatched a considerable number of elite Insect Swarms to follow along. Their purpose was not merely to sell medicinal herbs in Bishui City. He also wanted to take this opportunity to place one or two Insect Nests along the route.

Yunlong County was enormous, but the vast majority of it consisted of endless mountain ranges. Just like the undeveloped Liangguang Region from his past life, it was not suitable for human habitation. Once they reached Zoushan County, the situation was slightly better, and the terrain gradually leveled out. However, it possessed a complex network of water systems. Many areas were swamps, and there were even Demon Fiends lurking within them.

Compared to rich lands like He County City, this massive territory was classified as a standard miasma-filled wasteland. But for the Insect Swarm, this wasn’t the case. These places were densely populated with living organisms and were convenient for the Insect Swarm to stay hidden. It would be a huge waste not to properly develop them. Compared to the tough nuts to crack in the Wilderness Mountain Range, expanding in these areas would be much easier.

Furthermore, Cyan Peak County was a thousand kilometers away from Bishui City. Over such a vast distance, without one or two Insect Nests providing support, it really wouldn’t be very safe. At the very least, Qin Yu felt no sense of security.

"At the junction of the Qiushui River and the Bishui River, there is a group of River Pirates known as the Jianglin Gang. The location of their lair is quite excellent. I can consider placing an Insect Nest there," Qin Yu thought to himself.

The Qiushui River was a river adjacent to Zoushan County. It wasn’t very wide, being one of the tributaries of the Bishui River. For the Insect Swarm, it was just perfect for early-stage development.

Within the Bishui River, a Flood Dragon resided. Since the Flood Dragon deep within the Wilderness Mountain Range had not yet been dealt with, Qin Yu didn’t want to clash with the "dragon" in the Bishui River just yet. The Bishui River stretched for eight thousand kilometers and connected to countless great rivers. For a creature to entrench itself within such waters and leave even the Demon Suppression Bureau helpless to do anything about it... perhaps it was a true dragon!

Qin Yu thought, "The Blood Demon Sect loves to recruit mountain bandits, River Pirates, and Old Demons hidden across various regions. The group controlled by Li Tianyi, as well as Inspector Liu, are prime examples.

"Perhaps this Jianglin Gang is also connected to them.

"I’ll wipe them out first!

"This area can also serve as the second base for the Insect Swarm!"

His gaze profound, Qin Yu watched through the Insect Swarm’s vision as the Profound Flood Dragon, which had been trailing behind the Qin Family convoy, entered the Qiushui River from another secluded location.

High in the sky, a flock of Black Thorn Eagles swooped down. They dropped the Blood Shadow Pythons gripped in their talons into the water, following the Profound Flood Dragon as it dived into the depths of the river.